The New Airport Security

Security?

I was amazed!

SYDNEY, Australia
The latest story of a bomb threat was this evening in Sydney Airport. I happened to be there last night. I arrived was on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney. At the time I felt safe. Although I am currently not sure how great our security is, I would not hesitate to fly again as I can’t stay home forever.

The airline receives a call, ‘There’s a bomb on the plane!’
The plane lands in Sydney and security surrounds the plane. The passengers remain on the plane for the next hour.

What were they waiting for? The plane to blow up with the passengers on board?!

Does it sound ridiculous? Well, it is!

Hours earlier:
BOSTON, Massachusetts - A woman panicking from claustrophobia caused a Washington-bound flight from London to make an emergency landing in Boston on Wednesday, sparking a major security alert.

According to CNN, ‘The woman was carrying hand lotion, matches and a standard Phillips screwdriver. Up to four books of matches and screwdrivers shorter than 7 inches are allowed on flights, according to the Transportation Security Administration. But under the tighter restrictions, hand lotion is not.’

So her sin was the lotion, on the other hand the matches and screwdriver are allowed.

Truth be told, if you can blow up a plane with lotion, you can definitely blow up a plane with matches. In fact, they’ve been making bombs like that for at least a hundred years. Should matches not be illegal?

A day earlier:
LONDON, England -- Despite a high level of alert at British airports, a 12-year-old boy managed to board a plane at Gatwick without a passport, ticket or boarding pass. The boy was detected on Monday by a member of the Monarch Airlines cabin crew only after he was seated and had been given a drink and a snack.

It is true they caught him. But, it is not as a result of the competence of the security and the crew, rather as a result of the incompetence of a mere 12-year-old boy. Give him a few years and he’ll be better.

We are days after an alleged terror threat against planes, in particular British planes. Can the security establishments not take their job seriously?

I think the international security agencies must rethink their strategies.

May it be soon…